Chapter 429
Chosen Mate of the Beastmen Empire by Lewis Reed
Chapter 429 A guy dripping with class strode straight to Nyx and cut to the chase. âHi, can you date me?â
His rare green eyes held only her reflection right then. His voice was low, but the room frozeâeveryone gaped at the drama unfolding.
Nyx went quiet. This guy was her partner, no doubtâbut not quite how she remembered him.
First time she met Kai, heâd been a wild leopardâhuman form later, heâd seemed polished outside, but inside, he was scarred, stubborn, extreme.
Now, the man before her had sharp eyes, a dangerous edge rolling off himâlike a beast in human skin. Broad shoulders, back slightly hunched, he loomed over Nyx, waiting for her answer.
âNo,â Seafarion said, face like stone, answering for her. Forgetting appearances, he grabbed Nyxâs hand to pull her away.
Kai stepped in front, long legs blocking them, blunt as hell. âYouâre not her husbandâyou donât get to say no for her.â
Boyfriend or not, unmarried meant fair gameâlet alone just âbrother and sisterâ as he had claimed.
âMr. Kai, youâre not from hereâmaybe you donât grasp our language or customs,â Seafarion shot back. âHere, asking a strange girl out like thatâs rude.â
After jabbing Kai, he turned to Nyx, badmouthing, âForeigners are real looseâmessy relationships. This guyâs some bigâshot noble from abroad, thinks different than usâdonât take it to heart, Nyx.â
âIâm not,â Kai snapped, hating the smear, proving himself to Nyx, âIâm not loose or messyâIâve never dated anyone else.â
Still, he hadnât been here in agesâdidnât know the local rules. Asking her out like that mightâve actually ticked her off.
To boost his chances of a successful date, Kai was itching to move forward but decided to hold back for now. He would go home to brush up on his skills and figure out how to pursue Nyx according to local customs.
He eased off a bit, no longer pressing her step by step. Seafarion seized the chance, grabbed Nyxâs hand tight, and pulled her far away from the scene.
The drama kicked off out of nowhere and wrapped up fast. The onlookers felt like they didnât get their fill. They could tell this juicy story was far from over, but a frontârow seat to gossip like this might not come around again.
The usual scandals in their circleâmistresses, illegitimate kids, and petty fightsâwere old news. Theyâd grown sick of it. But two big shots fighting over a girl, that was a fresh twist that perked everyone up.
On one side was the worldâs richest man, on the other a revered foreign noble with a massive following. Two evenly matched guys turning into love rivals, that beat any TV show hands down.
Putting everything else aside, just looking at their faces, these three outshone any TV actor. Together, they were a sight for sore eyes.
A rich kid whoâd had his eye on Nyx didnât dare entertain a single thought now. He shrank into a corner and downed a bitter drink. Compared to Seafarion and Kai, he felt like a total toad.
On the way back, Nyx kept wondering what to do next. Heavenly Law always seemed to mess with her, throwing tricky problems her way.
Handling two guys at once was honestly tough. Back in the day, she wouldnât have even tried playing the field had no choiceâ
sheâd decided to stick with them forever and couldnât bear to ditch either one.
now she 1/6 Chapter 429 Seafarion lifted his gaze, sneaking a peek at Nyxâs thoughtful profile. He held back as long as he could before blurting out, âA guy who asks you out the first time he meets you is flaky and up to no good. Heâs not someone you should get serious with.â
Nyx snapped out of her thoughts at his words. She weighed it for a second, then shook her head. âBut I donât think heâs a bad guy,â she said, âPlus, heâs really goodâlooking.â
A faint smile played on her lips, her cheeks turning a little pink, like she was picturing Kaiâs face. In that instant, jealousy hit Seafarion like a truck. âWhat about me?â he demanded.
âYouâre goodâlooking too,â Nyx answered honestly. âYouâre just different types. I think youâre both handsome.â
Her tone was so casual, like she was just appreciating their looks, but her eyes hinted at something deeperâsomething hard to pin down.
Seafarionâs throat bobbed. He wanted to say more but stopped himself. A wild sense of danger heâd never felt before crept up inside him. Sure enough, it turned into another sleepless night.
It wasnât until the sky started to lighten, with faint rays slipping through the curtain gap, that Seafarion finally dozed off for a bit.
But as soon as he fell asleep, he dreamed of a soft little bunny kicking its legs, hopping out of his arms, and bolting ahead without looking back. No matter how hard he tried, he couldnât catch up.
Panic and sadness drowned him. Seafarion jolted awake, sat bolt upright, his heart pounding like crazy. âNyx, Nyx,â he murmured.
He fumbled around, tripped and fell, ignored the pain, scrambled into his wheelchair in a mess, and didnât even change clothes before rolling over to bang on her door next door.
Heâd messed up. He was a complete idiot. Heâd acted all rational and let her go, but he couldnât handle the idea of Nyx leaving him for real. He wasnât the only guy in the world. Tons of people liked her, and he didnât have anything special to offer.
Nyx was a young woman. Sheâd want to date, maybe even get married. If he stingily refused to give her what she wanted, she wouldnât stick around wasting time with him forever.
He knocked, but no one answered. He rang the bell a few timesâstill nothing. The door stayed shut tight. Clearly, no one was home. Seafarion wheeled back to grab his phone and called Marilyn. âWhatâs todayâs work and schedule? Whereâs Nyx right now?â
Marilynâs puzzled voice came through. âItâs a rest day. Unless I got it wrong, I already reported that to you yesterday.â
As for where Nyx was, she didnât know. Rest day plans werenât her job to track.
But Nyx rarely went outâmaybe a short walk nearby at most. When there was no work or classes, she liked to stay home and laze around. A rest day, and yet she wasnât homeâtotally out of character.
Panic swelled in Seafarionâs chest. He moved to call Nyx, hesitated, then switched to texting: [Nyx, whereâd you go?], He worried heâd blurt out a confession over the phone. Something like that needed to be said faceâtoâface to feel official.
His special notification chime rang out crisply once. Nyx: [Kai asked me to grab food with him. Weâre out right now.]
His worst fear came true. The dread from his dream practically solidified. Seafarion slumped back, then propped himself up fast and dialed Nyxâs number. He couldnât let some shady guy trick Nyx away. He had to find out where she was and bring her back.
Nyxâs phone buzzed. She reached to answer, but a veiny hand suddenly grabbed her wrist.
2/6 +45 Chapter 429 âWhoâre you texting? Whose call is that? Why arenât you looking at me?â Kaiâs green eyes glared down at her, his brow furrowed.
âYouâre on a date with me. No chatting with other guys.â
Nyx blinked, totally thrown off. She thought, âSo bossy?â
Their eyes locked. A lightbulb went off in her head, and she suddenly figured out what felt off about Kai compared to how she remembered him.
Before he lost his memory, his gaze had more warmth and attachment. Now, it carried a fierce, possessive heat. Like a leopard gone wild back in the dayâonce he locked onto her, heâd stubbornly decided she was his.
Nyx knew how to handle this kind of leopard. She lowered her eyes and softened her voice. âYouâre squeezing my wrist a little too hard. It hurts.â
Kai let go right away, a flash of regret in his eyes. He didnât dare touch her fragile frame again. Instead, he pulled out a document and handed it to Nyx.
âAnother contract?â she thought. Nyx took it, glanced at the title, and her face twisted weirdly. She read through it slowly, stayed quiet for agesâlong enough that the guy across from her started squirmingâbefore asking, âWhatâs your thinking here?â
âWhyâd you give me a sugar baby contract?â She was genuinely curious about this. She didnât believe a memory wipe would turn her partner into some sleazy jerk whoâd skip love and duty for a cashâandâsex deal.
Kai sat up straight, dead serious. âBecause Iâm loaded, and our social standings are miles apart. Last night, I looked into your countryâs customs and culture. For situations like ours, it usually starts with a sugar baby contract for a longâterm, steady dating setup.â
Nyx was speechless. She thought, âIs this legit research? Did he dig up his info from some trashy romance novel site?â
Heâd just lost his memory, but it felt like this leopard got dumber. It was like a wild animal barely learning to shapeshift, trying hard to fit into human society but always letting its tail slip out.
Nyx stared at the clause saying the sugar baby canât fall for the sponsor for a bit, barely holding in a laugh. She signed her name carefully in the blank.
She didnât point out that this contract went against basic decency and had no legal weight. She nodded at him all serious- like.
âAlright, Iâm in.â
A cold, cashâonly deal was locked in. Kai rubbed her signature with his fingers a couple times, perked up instantly, and slipped into fullâon sugar daddy mode.
He picked up a piece of steak and plopped it on her plate, jutting his chin. âEat it.â
Nyx raised an eyebrow but went along and ate it. Seeing this, Kaiâs eyes lit up. He scooped her some soupâThen came fried shrimp, grilled beef, truffle omelet.
Nyx glanced at the omelet. âI donât like this one.â She hated black truffles.
Kai snatched it back, stuffed it in his mouth, and mentally blacklisted the dish.
After feeding her for a while, Nyx got full first and set her fork down. Kai frowned, muttering she ate too little. When she didnât budge, he finished the rest himself.
After the meal, he sipped some tea, secretly pleased. Being a sugar daddy rocked. He could figure out what she liked and didnât like.
âStarting today, Iâm calling you Nyx, Kai declared, all bossy. âNo one else gets to.â Heâd heard Seafarion call her that last night.
3/6 12:35 Tue, 18 Mar Chapter 429 Nyx looked troubled. âBut itâs my first name. My friends have always called me that. I canât exactly tell them ifâs reserved for my sugar daddy now, can I?*
Sugar baby deals were hushâhush, not something to broadcast. Realizing that, Kai backed off, dropping his dumb demand Guess being a sugar daddy wasnât all that great.
He shook off the sour mood, kept trying to flex his sponsor perks, and stood up to walk over to her. I want to hug you He reached out, testing the waters by resting a hand on her slim waist, then wrapped his arms around her lightly. His hears started racing, and when he touched her hand, his face heated up. Everything felt off.
His body heat was insane. Nyx felt like she was stuck in a furnace. She tilted her head up, studying him with a weird look for a moment, then said, âWant me to kiss you?â
Kaiâs arms tightened hard, his throat bobbing. âNo, no need for now.â He managed to fight the temptation. Tll tell you when I want a kiss. Just do what I say.â
For a split second, Nyx swore she saw fluffy ears flicker above his head, but when she looked closer, nothing was there. Maybe just her imagination. She dropped her gaze, lost in thought.
After hugging her a bit longer, Kai let go reluctantly. âThatâs it for todayâs date. Iâll take you home.â
âDonât I need to live with you?â Nyx blinked, testing him. A sugar baby was supposed to stay with the sugar daddy.
Kai shook his head. âNope.â
Since that was the case, Nyx turned down his offer to drive her back. No need to risk running into Seafarion and sparking a world war.
Kai seemed a little bummed but oddly conflicted too. He didnât push it. They each took a copy of the contract and headed their separate ways.
Though he mostly lived abroad, Kai had a place in Broskelâa hillside villa in a quiet suburb. The whole mountain was his.
The car pulled up, the door shut, and the man vanished in a flash. His sturdy clothes ripped apart into shreds on the floor. A massive leopard bounded out on four strong legs, charging into the woods behind the house.
After tearing through the forest, roaring and sprinting like mad, startling every bird and beast around, Kaiâs adrenaline finally simmered down. He shifted back to human form.
He opened his phoneâs chat group. A bunch of unread messages had piled up.
Little Sparrow: [Ahhhh! Whatâs up with Lord Kai?]
Little Sparrow: [Scared me to death.]
Little Squirrel: [Scared me to death.]
Little Hedgehog: [Scared me to death.]
Little Fox: [Scared me to death.]
Big Black Bear: [Scared me to death.]
Sunflower Parrot: [Whatâs going on?]
Sunflower Parrot: [What happened?]
4/6 Chapter 429 Sunflower Parrot: [You guys donât know? Lord Kai went on a date with a human today!]
Sunflower Parrot: [1 even gave Lord Kai some tips!]
Sunflower Parrot: [Lord Kai, howâd the date go, my lord? How was it?]
Sunflower Parrot: [Did she sign the contract?]
Old Ox: [Is that contract legit? No humans I know do that for dating.]
Sunflower Parrot: [Youâre talking about regular humans! Is Lord Kai some regular human? Heâs the leader of our demon clan!]
Sunflower Parrot: [How can our lord date a human the normal way! For dating, just toss humans some cashâthey love that stuff!]
Old Turtle: [Yeah, demons donât last long with humans.]
Kai glanced at Old Turtleâs last message and snorted. The demon clan was crazy strong. As long as he had power, he wouldnât age or die. A puny human couldnât take him.
He brushed off the nonsense and replied to Sunflower Parrot: [It went great. She agreed.]
Kai: [She listens to me. She even offered to kiss me and move in with me.]
No one knew how tempted heâd been. If he werenât worried about losing control and revealing his true form, scaring her off, he wouldnât have said no. Sure, he didnât get the full perks, but that didnât stop him from wanting to brag a little.
The group chat blew up with praise, Sunflower Parrot leading the pack, gushing about Kaiâs unmatched charmâwinning over demon ladies left and right, and now even human chicks couldnât resist him.
Kai got tired of the flattery. He didnât care how many females adored him. He just wanted to figure out everything about -Nyx.
Heâd been humanâshaped for over a hundred years, learning useful human stuff, stacking wealth, climbing higher, and helping out other little demons along the way. This was his first stab at loveâunfamiliar and confusing. He had no clue what he was doing.
Kai: [When I hugged Nyx, my heart was racing, my body got all hot, and I felt awful. Whatâs that about?]
Heâd barely kept himself from shifting back into beast form. Otherwise, he wouldnât have cut the date short like that.
Old Ox: [That feeling sounds familiar. But itâs not mating season yet.]
Sunflower Parrot: [Who cares if it is! Lord Kaiâs a natural!]
He privately messaged Kai, sending a video file called âWorld of Animals.â
Sunflower Parrot: [Check this out, my lord! I found you some material!]
He wasnât great at searching online yet and could only find animal stuff. For demons, it was close enough anyway.
They were demons, sure, but demons came from animals that tapped into cosmic secrets. They all carried some beast instincts deep down.
Kai clicked the video without a second thought. Birds chirped, flowers bloomed, and a narratorâs voice flowed out soothingly.
âSpring has arrived, nature awakens, and itâs mating season for animals once again.â
5/6 Chapter 429 It was a rest day, so Nyx didnât call her assistant for a ride. She just grabbed a random taxi home. Sheâd been stuffed to the brim at lunch, and the driverâs wild skills left her carsick from all the jostling.
She got out, let the breeze hit her, and felt a little better. But the elevator ride brought the dizziness and nausea roaring back.
She shuffled out weakly and spotted someone at her door.
Seafarion sat there, pale as a ghost, eyes red, not moving an inchâwho knows how long heâd been waiting. He looked like he might shatter.